Nov 2, 2020 | Deploy Yourself, Life |
I think it was 1989 when I, for the first time, realized that the 1st of January was a special day. The biggest change for me, one that always took a few weeks to get used to, was to write 1990 instead of 1989 in our school notebooks daily. While the whole world...
Mar 29, 2019 | Coaching, Deploy Yourself, Leadership and Management |
One of the most fundamental human needs we all share is to make meaningful progress in what we are doing. At the workplace this means knowing how does the road ahead looks, and how can we learn and grow to the next milestone on that road. If you lead people, you can...
Jan 21, 2019 | Deploy Yourself, Emotional Intelligence |
Emotions play a big part in our communication in the workplace, either face-to-face or written. The way we express our emotions requires us to be sensitive to others’ emotions. In the same way, we also need to be sensitive to our own emotions and values and respond...
Jan 10, 2019 | Deploy Yourself, Emotional Intelligence |
“Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power” – Lao Tzu I am sure we’ve all experienced a sudden emotional reaction. It happens when our thinking starts to become clouded, and feelings (of fear, anger, or sadness) overwhelm us. While it’s not...
Jul 3, 2018 | Communication Skills, Deploy Yourself |
“I want to give you some feedback.” If you are like most people, once you hear the above statement, your heart will start to beat a little faster, your palms might begin to sweat, and in certain situations, you might even begin to shake. Feedback can make anyone...
Jun 19, 2018 | Communication Skills, Deploy Yourself |
Giving good quality feedback is an important skill to have in any organization. Doing so regularly with our peers gives everyone an accurate understanding of how they are doing at work, and what needs to change/improve. However, I have always felt that the importance...
Jun 19, 2018 | Communication Skills, Deploy Yourself |
It is the end of the quarter. And it is feedback season again! Feedback is a word many people dread and it makes them uncomfortable, while for others it is a tool to reflect on and improve performance. Having been on both ends of the feedback spectrum over my career,...
Apr 20, 2018 | Coaching, Deploy Yourself, Leadership and Management |
In today’s age of always-connected devices and nonstop notifications, we all have more to do each day than the hours can fit. Crossing items off the to-do list always feels good and gives one a feeling of accomplishment, but have we ever stopped and asked ourselves...
Apr 20, 2018 | Deploy Yourself, Leadership and Management |
A Global World Today, we live in a globalized world which is more connected than ever before, and the movement of people and goods has never been easier. It is driven by economics and money, and it is possible to sit on your couch and order what you want from the...
Jan 29, 2018 | Deploy Yourself, Emotional Intelligence |
When I started working at the age of 21, my manager was only a few years older than me. Both of us being very young and passionate about work, we developed a good friendship. As I completed my first year at work, I sat down with this friend (manager) to discuss my...
Nov 27, 2017 | Communication Skills, Deploy Yourself |
There was once only one orange left in a kitchen and two chefs were fighting over it.”I need that orange!””Yes, but I need that orange as well !”Time was running out and they both needed an orange to finish their particular recipes for the...
Nov 15, 2017 | Communication Skills, Deploy Yourself |
In the previous four articles, I have written about what conflicts are, what not to do when they happen, how to prepare to solve them through a conversation, and some practical tips to follow during the conversation itself. However, doing all this doesn’t guarantee...
Nov 8, 2017 | Communication Skills, Deploy Yourself |
So you have prepared well (read my previous article), and are walking into a conflict resolution conversation with trust and respect for the other person. You have established ground rules for the conversation, and you know your BATNA. Even with all this preparation,...
Nov 6, 2017 | Communication Skills, Deploy Yourself |
A conflict resolution conversation is one of the most critical conversations in any organization. The success or failure of this conversation will determine how the inherent energy in a conflict will be used, and how the relationship between the involved parties will...
Nov 2, 2017 | Communication Skills, Deploy Yourself |
We all deal with conflicts in the workplace. In the last 12 years of my professional career, I have had my own share of conflicts. That has left me with some learnings about how to navigate through them successfully. This article is the second in a series of articles....
Oct 31, 2017 | Communication Skills, Deploy Yourself |
CONFLICT! Is that a word that scares you? Is that something that makes you run in the opposite direction? Do you wish you had the skills to handle conflicts better? If you are like most people, you are no fan of conflicts and have often been caught up in the maze of a...
Jun 23, 2017 | Communication Skills, Deploy Yourself, Emotional Intelligence |
Tom : “I am sorry I am a bit late to this meeting. My previous meeting ran over.” Sara : “I am more worried about the missed deadline on the product your team is developing. Your team is slow.” Tom : “It’s not my fault. Two members on my team reported sick last...
Apr 21, 2017 | Deploy Yourself, Emotional Intelligence |
As I wrote previously, every human emotion is valid. However, the story behind them might not be, and we always have the choice of how to respond to an emotion. If we want to master how to deal with others’ emotions, our own emotional mastery is the prerequisite....
Mar 28, 2017 | Deploy Yourself, Emotional Intelligence |
Fresh out of college, when I started to work professionally as a 21 year old, I dived into work passionately and emotionally. Not only did I do great work during that year, but I also had a lot of fun with my team, many of whom are still my good friends. I was...
Mar 8, 2017 | Deploy Yourself, Leadership and Management, Life |
In today’s corporate environment, after a few years of doing your job well enough, chances are that you will be asked to step up and lead a team. You trained and studied to be good at your job, and now getting to manage people seems like a reward for a job well done....